Kanishaka's order was quickly implemented. Not only him, but also the nobles and bureaucrats of the entire Kushan Empire had been coveting the wealthy Dayan caravan for a long time. Normally they would try their best to exploit the passing caravans, but now that they had King Kanishaka's order, they were even more diligent in executing it.
In all major cities in the Kushan Kingdom, soldiers and officials went everywhere to arrest people and traders.
"Sir, we didn't break the law!" The businessman from Dayan shouted that he was wronged when he saw his goods being robbed.
"What's not illegal? The king stipulated that business taxes should be increased tenfold!" the official said fiercely.
"Ten times?" The businessman was confused. "How can we do business here? Isn't this robbery?"
"You are so bold. You defy the law and dare to be disrespectful to the king. You will be arrested and all his money and goods will be confiscated!" The officials didn't care what he said. They took away all his money and goods and locked him in a cell.
At the beginning, it was just the merchants of Yan State who were unlucky. Many merchants did not know the new king's order and suffered heavy losses.
Businessmen from Yan State began to flee the Kushan Empire.
However, the nobles were still not satisfied. With the permission of King Kanishekya, they could openly rob Yan merchants. How could others rob more but themselves rob less?
So, they began to arrest anyone who was a Yan State person, whether they were businessmen or others, extort all their money, and sell those who had no money directly as slaves!
"Sir, I am not from Yan! I am from Kushan!" Within the Kushan Empire, some Kushan people also suffered unfair treatment and were robbed of their money, wives and daughters.
"I said you are from the Yan State, so you are the Yan State!" The nobles and officials didn't care about this at all and took advantage of this opportunity to make money.
King Kushan's order had changed, and Kanishaka didn't care at all. After this operation, the wealth of the Kushan Empire increased significantly, and the treasury was filled with mountains of gold, silver, jewelry, and silk porcelain!
…
King Kushan's new order reached Yan State a few months later.
In Jicheng, the princes and ministers were all complaining to Yan Qingwu.
"Your Majesty, the King of Kushan is simply a robber. He has robbed all the merchants of our Yan Kingdom. Some people's homes were even confiscated, the elderly were beaten to death, and the men were sold as coolies. Women and children were treated as slaves in the streets of Guishang. For sale!”
"The Silk Road has become a plundering road for the Kushan Empire! Your Majesty, this cannot be tolerated!"
These princes and ministers all had vested interests in the Silk Road, so they naturally hated the King of Kushan.
Not only them, the largest porcelain and silk businesses were controlled by Emperor Yan himself, and Yan Qingwu's own losses were even more serious.
"Immediately order the King of Guishuang to release our Yan merchants and return all losses!" Yan Qingwu said coldly, "Recruit 200,000 soldiers from the Western Region Protectorate to approach the Parthian Empire!"
"As you command!"
Dayan is far away from Anxi, and it would be too expensive to mobilize troops from the Central Plains, so at this time, troops must be recruited from the Western Region Protectorate.
…
In the Kushan Empire, in a majestic pagoda, King Kanishaka of Kushan was respectfully worshiping an old monk.
The old monk wore linen robes, had a kind face, and had a faint Buddha light around his body.
This person is the Buddhist teacher of Kanisaka, Venerable He.
Venerable Wei's Buddhist attainments are the highest in the Kushan Empire, and his cultivation is unfathomable. Some people say that he is a living Buddha! The reason why I still stay in the human world is to promote Mahayana Buddhism and save all sentient beings!
Kanishaka respected him very much, established Buddhism as the state religion, and built a large number of Buddhist temples and pagodas.
"Honorable Sir," Kanishaka said in a respectful tone: "I have ordered that the property of the merchants of Yan State be confiscated and a large amount of wealth has been obtained. You can build a big temple for my Buddha!"
Lord Wai smiled slightly and said: "The Kushan Empire already has enough temples and pagodas. If you want to build temples, it is better to go to the east, where there are still a barbaric land full of demons. If the king can promote Buddhism in the Yan Kingdom, , the merits are immeasurable!”
Kanishaka said: "The Emperor Yan rejected my proposal."
Venerable Wei said: "That's why it is necessary for the king to promote Buddhism and educate Emperor Yan and the people of Yan. King, you were a Buddha in your previous life, but because your merits were not fulfilled, you were reincarnated as the king of the Kushan Empire."
"Your mission is to spread Buddhism to every corner of the world. Such merit is enough for you to complete your merits and ascend to heaven."
After hearing his words, Kanisaka thought for a while and said: "I understand, the Yan Kingdom has been conducting conquests all year round, annexing many countries, and committing endless murders!"
"In this case, I will represent the Buddha's will and let them suffer and repent in hell!"
"When Emperor Yan learns of my king's decree, he will definitely take action. In this case, I will send troops in advance to seize the Western Region, control the Hexi Corridor, block the Yan State's Silk Road, and then plan to the east!"
"Venerable Sir, who can take on this important task?" Kanishaka asked the Venerable Lord.
Venerable Wei said: "The old monk's disciple, Bizhe, is rich in knowledge. He has traveled to the Western Regions and served as an envoy to the Yan Kingdom. He is familiar with the terrain and can take on this important task!"
"Okay, then follow what the venerable said!" Kanishaka immediately called to Vizhe and ordered: "Vizhe, I order you to lead two hundred thousand troops to attack the Da Yueshi. Occupy the Hexi Corridor and blockade the Yan army. The road to the west!"
Bi Zhe was overjoyed and said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, the monk will definitely incorporate the Dayue clan into the territory of the Kushan Empire, so that the message of Buddhism can be spread throughout the Western Regions!"
Bi Zhe set out with an army of 200,000.
The Kushan Empire had split from the Great Yueshi before, and it knew the situation of the Great Yueshi better than anyone else.
Moreover, there are many people in Dayuezhi who have connections with the Kushan Empire. After Bizhe went on the expedition, he won all the battles. Many Dayuezhi generals did not resist at all and surrendered directly to the Kushan Empire.
The Kushan Empire's army surrounded Dayuezhi's royal city, but at this time, the soldiers from Dayan's Western Region Protectorate had not yet arrived.
In the palace, Queen Lanxiang is convening ministers for discussion.
Next to her, there was an exquisite little boy, her and Zhang Beichen's child, named Zhang Yi.
"Now that the Kushan Empire's army is pressing down on the border, and Yan's reinforcements have not yet arrived, who has a plan to retreat from the enemy?" Queen Lanxiang asked the ministers.
All the ministers lowered their heads and said nothing. Some even said: "Queen, we are afraid that we will not be able to wait for reinforcements from the Yan Kingdom. It is better to surrender to Guishang than to destroy the city and kill everyone!"
Queen Lanxiang was furious and said: "I want to surrender without fighting. What's the use of you? Drag me down and hang me!"
Queen Lanxiang punished several surrender factions, and the ministers were silent again. However, she knew very well that the others didn't have much to fight for.
After the Dayue clan surrendered to the Yan Kingdom, they indeed became much stronger, but their time was limited. The newly trained soldiers have not grown up yet and are no match for the Kushan Empire. It will only be a matter of time before the city is defeated.
[The Kushan army attacked the city, and Dayuezhi defended the city for more than a month. Due to the rebellion of the city's defenders, the Kushan army entered the city and captured Queen Lanxiang and her son. 】
Queen Lanxiang wanted to commit suicide, but the other party threatened her with her child, so she had no choice but to endure it.
She was imprisoned in the pagoda of the Kushan Empire. The King of Kushan did not do anything to her, but took away her child Zhang Yi.
…
"Your Majesty, now we have captured the Dayue clan and imprisoned Queen Lanxiang. Emperor Yan will not give up! She has already raised troops to start a war with me, Kuishang!" Kanisaka said, "I have already Get ready to annihilate Yan’s enemies!”
Venerable Wei nodded slightly and said, "With the blessing of the Buddha, your Majesty will surely be able to win every battle."
He also said at the same time: "The old monk has met the son of Queen Lanxiang yesterday. This man is full of wisdom and will become the son of my Buddhist sect in the future. Please allow him to be taught by the old monk."
"Since the venerable one wants someone, why should I not allow it?" Kanisaka then handed Zhang Yi over to the venerable master for instruction.
…
Zhang Beichen was in Jicheng, and it took several months before he learned about the destruction of the Dayue clan.
"What? The Dayue clan was destroyed, and both Queen Lanxiang and Zhang Yi were imprisoned in the Kushan Empire?" He was furious and cursed: "What do the governors of the Duhu Mansion do for food? Why are they not supported in time? "
The envoy explained with shame: "The Kushan people are familiar with the terrain of the Western Region and set up an ambush on our way to support. Our reinforcements were ambushed and suffered heavy losses, which delayed the opportunity for support..."
"Okay!" Zhang Beichen said angrily, "Military disposition!"
He immediately went to see Yan Qingwu and opened his mouth and said: "Your Majesty, the King of Kushan is so bold that I invite you to go to war and conquer the Kushan Empire!"
Yan Qingwu was also angry. Not only did King Guishang cut off the Silk Road, he actually dared to lead troops to attack the Western Regions.
She immediately said: "I will leave the entire responsibility to you for the expedition."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhang Beichen immediately began to mobilize troops and generals to attack the Kushan Empire.
The journey was long, so Zhang Beichen only brought 50,000 elite cavalry from Yan State, and also brought Zhao Yun and Hao Ziyi with him.
Zhao Yun is a powerful force and general, and Hao Ziyi has now reached the semi-saint realm. In addition, she is from a nomadic tribe and is also good at bow and horse, so she brought them along with her.
Zhang Beichen came to the Protectorate of the Western Regions, and Yuan Huai, the governor of the Protectorate, begged him.
Zhang Beichen dismissed him from his post, and then led 200,000 people from the Protectorate to the Western Regions.
[You lead troops to the territory of Dayuezhi, which has been annexed by the Kushan Empire. 】
[You led the troops to attack all the way, quickly defeated the Kushan soldiers in Dayuezhi territory, and recaptured Dayuezhi. 】
Zhang Beichen was not satisfied with recapturing Dayuezhi, because both Queen Lanxiang and Zhang Yi were captured. He wanted to fight all the way to Guishuang territory and bring King Guishuang back!
[You continue your conquest and soon take back the places occupied by the Kushan Empire in the Western Region one by one. 】
Zhang Beichen's army has arrived at the border of the Kushan Empire. The Kushan Empire once again recruited hundreds of thousands of troops from across the country to defend the Yan army.
At this time, Zhang Beichen was not in a hurry to attack. It's okay to fight against the Western Regions. The countries in the Western Regions are not strong, so it will not be difficult to defeat them.
The Kushan Empire dominates one side and is not that easy to deal with.
In addition, there are two prisoners on his side. If a fight breaks out and the other party threatens him with prisoners, how will he deal with it?
Zhang Beichen stationed his army in the Western Region and handed over the command to Zhao Yun. He decided to go to the Kushan Empire in person to find out what was going on and see if he could find a way to rescue Queen Lanxiang and Zhang Yi.
"There are many masters in Guishang, so be careful." Zhao Yun reminded.
"Don't worry. Now that I am in the late stage of the Holy Realm, I will have no problem protecting myself." After Zhang Beichen explained everything, he took a few guides and used disguise techniques to disguise themselves as Kushan people and sneak into the Kushan Empire.
At the border, Zhang Beichen could see many recruited soldiers building fortifications.
There are also monk soldiers among them.
He had also encountered these monk soldiers when he was fighting in the Western Regions. They were all practitioners and were much stronger than ordinary soldiers.
The status of monk soldiers is obviously much higher than that of ordinary soldiers. They have complete sets of weapons and equipment, and they can also eat well.
Those soldiers who were recruited were often used as labor or cannon fodder.
Zhang Beichen had never been to the Kushan Empire when he was on a mission to the Western Regions before, so this time he wanted to find out more about the situation here.
The closer you get to Fulusa, the capital of the Kushan Empire, the more temples and monks there are.
Almost everyone here goes to temples to pray and worship.
The status of monks is very high. Those senior monks, masters and the like are equivalent to the nobles here. If you meet them on the road, you need to salute or worship them. You can't continue walking until they leave.
Zhang Beichen came to Fulousha, which was even more prosperous.
The Kushan Empire is estimated to have a population of more than 10 million. As the capital of the Kushan Empire, Furousha is naturally extremely prosperous.
Pagodas and Buddhist temples can be seen everywhere, and well-dressed monks and nobles roam the streets.
The guide whispered: "There used to be many Yan people in Fulousha, it is said that there were at least 10,000 people. Since the king ordered the confiscation of the Yan people's property, the Yan people have been caught and run away. Now Fulousha We can no longer see the Yan people. Sir, we need to be careful at all times. If we are discovered, we will definitely attract the attention of the guards."
"Yes." Zhang Beichen followed the guide and stayed in Fulousha.
[After half a month, you have a rough idea of the situation here. 】
Zhang Beichen didn't know where Queen Lanxiang was being held, but he could roughly guess it.
"There are two places that are most closely guarded in Furousha!"
"The first one is naturally the royal palace of the Kushan Empire, where King Kanishaka lives."
"The second place is Maitreya Temple. That's where Lord Waki and his disciples live."
Zhang Beichen decided to visit the palace first.
As night fell, Zhang Beichen concealed his presence and came to the Guishang Palace.
As a strong man in the late stage of the Holy Realm, the ordinary guards and restrictions cannot stop him.
Zhang Beichen walked around the palace and did not find Queen Lanxiang.
Inside the palace, where King Kanishaka lived, Zhang Beichen felt the aura of a strong man.
That aura has both the blessing of national luck and the protection of Buddhist luck, and its strength is definitely in the holy realm.
"The strength of King Jianisejia is indeed not weak!" Zhang Beichen thought to himself, if he was discovered by Jianisejia here and besieged by a group of masters, even if he was in the late stage of the Holy Realm, it would be difficult for him to escape. .
"I'm very familiar with the scent of Queen Lanxiang. She shouldn't be in the palace." Zhang Beichen quietly withdrew from the palace. At the same time, King Kanishaka, who was meditating, opened his eyes. He felt something strange.
(End of chapter)
new
